hairpin

1 of 2

noun

hair·​pin ˈher-ˌpin 

1

: a pin to hold the hair in place

specifically : a long U-shaped pin

2

: something shaped like a hairpin

specifically : a sharp U-shaped turn in a road

hairpin

2 of 2

adjective

: having the shape of a hairpin

a hairpin turn

also : having hairpin turns

a steep hairpin road

Examples of hairpin in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Beyond safety, Key explained how uniform and equipment details that can be customized per team play a role in their speed (which can reach over 230 mph) and efficiency (particularly around the tight hairpin turns) during races. —Skyler Caruso, PEOPLE, 21 Nov. 2025

What appears on its head as a social-realist drama in the vein of, say, Asghar Farhadi, takes a sharp hairpin turn in the second half, upending its own premise when the professor confronts an enigmatic gardener who may be an extension of himself, and his own worst impulses. —Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 14 Nov. 2025

Adjective

Prana is remote: nearly five hours’ drive from Pantnagar Airport on hairpin mountain roads, and a steep mile walk (that takes nearly an hour) from the road to the property. —Hillary Richard, Robb Report, 20 Nov. 2025

Get ready for hairpin turns, switchbacks, and steep climbs; the road starts in the south in Bascov, runs through the Făgăraș Mountains, and ends in the north in Cârțișoara. —Lydia Mansel, Travel + Leisure, 1 Nov. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1771, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

1887, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

hairpin

noun

hair·​pin

-ˌpin

1

: a U-shaped pin to hold the hair in place

2

: something shaped like a hairpin

especially : an extremely sharp turn in a road

hairpin adjective

Medical Definition

hairpin

noun

hair·​pin ˈha(ə)r-ˌpin, ˈhe(ə)r- 

variants also hairpin loop

: a region in single-stranded RNA or DNA that is double-stranded due to pairing between purine and pyrimidine bases in adjacent sequences of the RNA or DNA that are complementary and inverted